2026 Valentine’s Day promises to be brutal with Muertissima! Five years after their first album, the Parisian band led by Stéphane Prados (guitar, Anthropovore) and Simon “Gévaudan” Perrin (guitar/vocals, Anthropovore, ex-Demande à la Poussière), now accompanied by Nicko San Juan (drums) and François Delmont (bass, Tragos), have signed with Fetzner Death Records for the release of their second album, Prophecy.

Kings Of Maleficence starts with a warning sample, then riffs and other vociferations begin to rain down in a jerky manner, offering a hellish rhythm where the musicians don’t hesitate to speed up without warning, creating a very catchy groove. The track is quite long, but knows exactly how to hold our attention, becoming sometimes unhealthy, sometimes brutal, as we move on to more massive, almost majestic tones on I Sleep With Demons, borrowing from Black Metal and forcing the vocalist to surpass himself by offering striking screams in addition to his usual vocals. Impressive riffs eventually fade away to make way for Rich Bitch, a vindictive composition with furious rhythms that initially trample us vigorously, then occasionally veer towards Death/Thrash that suddenly takes off without warning, accompanied by Kevin (Tragos, Evolution Zero). A moment of sweetness and nostalgia with Echoes Of Attenborough, where Erroiak‘s piano (Erroiak, Enterré Vivant, Aeterna Tenebrae, Hrad…) and Sir David Attenborough’s vocal sample allow us to recover from our emotions before moving on to V.I.L. is for Vile Hate, which returns to saturation and pure violence in all its forms and guarantees some frantic headbanging sessions as we follow its riffs. We also have a few lead parts in the first half, while the second half is more theatrical then Hate Eternal follows suit at a good pace, remaining pure and effective with its old-school touches, while also reserving a few devastating accelerations and rhythm changes for itself. Whether the first moments of The Rain are very calm, it is only to reinforce the contrast between melancholy and heart-wrenching moments that the band manages to string together with an almost frightening naturalness, but also with Locura, a track that overflows with energy, just like its guest, the overexcited Steeven “El Termito” (Locomuerte)! The track gives us no respite, and even if it slows down from time to time, you can be sure that a new wave of rage is not far off, and only the final will be a bit easier to digest before moving on to the great battle of From Undead To Oblivion, which starts slowly but offers ritualistic guttural vocals in its first half, then charges forward in one fell swoop and returns to raw death metal for the rest of the track. The band calls on Lionel Cano Muñoz (Impureza) for the guitar intro to Pachacamac, the last track, which is both the longest and the most surprising: the vocals first transport us back to the mountains of the East, then become clear again and are shared with the sweet voice of Delora Singer (ex-Lurking, ex-Moonskin, ex-Lux Incerta), moving further and further away from violence, but offering the same intensity throughout these eight minutes and thirty seconds of escape.

If you love the raw power of Death Metal in all its forms, you can trust Muertissima with your eyes closed! In addition to their usual violence, the band has skillfully made Prophecy an incredibly well-paced album full of surprises that will delight with its risk-taking.

95/100

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A few questions for Parisian Death Metal band Muertissima on the release of their second album, Prophecy.

Hello, and first of all, thank you for your time! Without using any style labels such as “Death Metal” or any other subgenres, how would you describe Muertissima?
Gévaudan (guitar/vocals): A big bowl of Death, a few spoonfuls of Thrash, and a pinch of Black!
Pradosaure (guitar): Friends, beer, fighting!

How did you choose this name when you formed the band, and how do you personally relate it to the music you play now?
Pradosaure: I was looking for a name that would make an impact, something that would set us apart from everything else out there, but that would immediately make it clear that we play death metal and that we’re not here to sell ties by playing happy metal.

Your second album, Prophecy, is coming out in February 2026. How do you feel within the band? Have you had any feedback about it yet?
Gévaudan: I played the album a lot for my family and close friends at various stages of production. From my pre-mixes in my home studio to the final mastering at HK, I got a lot of positive feedback at every stage!
Pradosaure: With Prophecy, we’re clearly taking a step forward! An important step in the band’s career. It’s an ambitious album, and some of the choices we’ve made won’t necessarily be to everyone’s taste. That said, the initial feedback on the singles released so far has been extremely positive! And that means a lot to us.
François (bass): To answer your first question: it’s been a little over a year now since I joined the band, and I consider the guys to be family (just like the guys in my other band). As for my friends’ feedback on Prophecy, so far it’s been nothing but positive… And I’m firmly convinced that the public’s reception will be too!!!!

How would you summarize Prophecy in three words?
Gévaudan: To paraphrase one of the songs on the album, I would say “despair,” “extinction,” and “hatred.”
Pradosaure: “Destruction,” “madness,” and “annihilation.”
François: “Incisive,” “raw,” and “brutal.”

How did the process of composing the album Prophecy go? Did you notice any changes compared to the band’s beginnings in 2017?
Gévaudan: The big change for me compared to the band’s beginnings is above all the fact that I play guitar, and subsequently that I am very involved in the composition process, which was not at all the case for the first album. I also took on the heavy task of recording and editing the guitar and bass tracks. As for the rest, as usual, Pradosaure provided the raw material for the compositions. He creates the preliminary demos on his own, and we rework them together to determine the tempos, structures, transitions, lead melodies, and arrangements. I often get involved in structural changes of all kinds, such as transforming riffs into ternary, adding or removing a beat here and there, inserting riffs packed with offbeats… All this to the great dismay of the others (hahaha).
Pradosaure: The songwriting process is similar to what we were doing before, although the fact that we recorded the guitars and bass ourselves gave us the luxury of trying things out until we got the structures just right.

Speaking of changes, there have been quite a few developments since the lineup for the previous album. How did you manage to cope with the successive departures and recruitments?
Gévaudan: We look for the person before the musician. Good rapport, a common goal, and a minimum of social intelligence are necessary if we want the whole thing to work. For example, you can recruit an excellent musician, but if it takes him more than 20 minutes to set up before a concert and he alienates the sound engineers at the venues where you play on top of that, it’s a deal-breaker. At Muertissima, before being good musicians, we are people who are pleasant to work with and who we are happy to see again. That’s mainly why it took us a while to find THE line-up.
Pradosaure: Yes, we’ve had some tough times. Of the original lineup, only Gévaudan and I remain. Our first guitarist, Matthias, is still part of the team in a way, as he actively participates in creating visuals for the band. He left us to devote himself to his growing family. The arrival of Nicko on drums and François on bass breathed new life into the band’s musicality and cohesion. And today, I consider myself to have the PERFECT team.
François: I completely agree with El Pradosaure: we have the perfect team, we complement each other wonderfully!!!!

The band’s sound blends Death Metal roots in the broadest sense, but also other more varied influences. Which bands would you cite as your main influences? How do you manage to create your own touch and, above all, make the mix coherent?
Gévaudan: If it were up to me, there would be no search for coherence. I work on instinct, I do what I want when I want. If I find that something sounds good with something else, I don’t ask myself any more questions. It’s my worst flaw, and among other things, it amplifies the variety of influences in the composition, but luckily the others are often there to make me see reason!
Pradosaure: Bands like At The Gates, for the melodic side. Or bands like Slayer for the dark side. We could also mention Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, and so many others… When I compose, I don’t ask myself too many questions. As a general rule, it all starts with a melody or a rhythm that I have in my head, which I then transcribe on my guitar. When the inspiration is there, all the other riffs eventually follow.

How did you decide on the themes addressed in the songs?
Pradosaure: Prophecy is a kind of concept album, where we address several themes that ultimately synthesize and prophesy the end of humanity. Themes such as madness, violence, pollution, destruction, and greed are addressed, painting a picture of humanity rushing toward its demise.

At the time of writing this interview, two tracks have been released: Locura and From Undead To Oblivion. Why did you choose these particular tracks? How did you approach the music video for From Undead To Oblivion?
Pradosaure: As for the tracks that have been released, Locura seemed like a good choice for a first single because it reflects the madness that pervades the album. From Undead To Oblivion was a risky bet, but one I was willing to take. When I wrote this song, I had scenes of epic battles in my head. That’s why it seemed logical to me to put it into images.

There are quite a few guest artists on this album: Kevin from Tragos/Evolution Zero, Erroiak, Steeven from Locomuerte, Lionel from Impvreza, and Delora Singer. How did you contact them and convince them to join you on their respective tracks?
Pradosaure: Our bassist François is part of the band Tragos, who are signed to Fetzner Death Records like us. The two bands have toured together a lot. Doing a feature with Kevin was a no-brainer for us. With Erroiak, it happened in a completely different way. We already knew each other from social media, and we met IRL at a festival. After a few beers, I asked him to do a feature on our album (hahaha). As for Lionel, I had been listening to Impvreza‘s music for quite some time, even before founding Muertissima! Their manager Morgan contacted me when our first album was released to congratulate me. We’ve been in touch ever since, and it became obvious that we would do a feature with their guitarist Lionel. Delora is a friend with whom Muertissima has shared the stage with some of her bands, and one evening after a few beers, I asked her to feature on the album (hahaha). As for Steeven, I already knew Mitch, the guitarist from Locomuerte, and I had met Steeven at the Mennecy Metal Fest in 2024. We had discussed the idea of collaborating on a track, so as soon as the compositions were at an advanced stage, I asked him and he immediately accepted.

I know it’s a difficult question, but do you have a favorite track on this album? Or one that felt most natural to compose?
Gévaudan: Without hesitation, Pachacamac. It was a real pleasure to find simple and effective lead melodies for it, to dress it up with all kinds of layers, sometimes dissonant, sometimes mystical… Not to mention the collaboration with Lionel, who brought that flamboyant “dark flamenco” vibe we were looking for, and Delora‘s voice, which immerses the whole thing in a truly touching dimension of raw sensitivity, never before heard in Muertissima. Even today, when I listen to it again, I still get goosebumps…
Pradosaure: Oh yes, that’s a difficult question! (Bastard!) I could give you each of the tracks one by one with the reasons why it’s always my favorite. I’ll choose one at random… And it will be Rich Bitch! Because it’s the first track I put on the demo to present to the guys!
François: Rich Bitch… Musically, and also (especially!) because my friend Kevin (who I play with in Tragos) is featured on vocals!!!!

Prophecy is being released by Fetzner Death Records. How did you get in touch with them, and how is the collaboration going?
Gévaudan: François set us up!
Pradosaure: Getting in touch was surprisingly easy, which is great because, let’s be honest… Communication isn’t the strongest suit of many labels. What I like about my exchanges with Fetzner is their responsiveness and clarity. Alexander, the boss, is truly passionate, and outside of our professional exchanges for the band, I sometimes talk to him about our shared passion: Metal!
François: Having signed with Fetzner a few weeks earlier with Tragos and having an excellent relationship with Alexander, the boss, it seemed natural to me to ask him to sign us too.

Despite a few dates in the Paris region, I’ve never seen you play live. How do you approach a concert with Muertissima? Do you have any pre- or post-concert rituals?
Gévaudan: For me, a concert is just like any other day. I’m still looking for that famous date that will give me the same abject terror as the very first concert I ever gave, which deprived me of that delicious stage fright for many years… This new album, the hype it’s generating, and this series of upcoming concerts will help me finally rediscover it. And when that moment comes, I’ll have to develop pre- and post-concert rituals to help me fight it.
Pradosaure: Yes, I have my little rituals! Before a concert, I need: beer, pizza, and [censored]. After a concert, I need: beer, pizza, and [censored]!

You have a date scheduled at Le Klub in Paris on February 14. How are you getting ready for this show?
Pradosaure: Lots of rehearsals! And beer, pizza, and [censored]!
Gévaudan: Lots of equipment adjustments. Lots of beer, maybe a little more vegetables and pineapple. And also [censored].

What are Muertissima‘s next projects after the album release?
Gévaudan: In addition to numerous concerts, we’re going to quickly get started on writing songs for the third album! I think it will be more than beneficial for us to keep up our momentum and continue moving forward. We still have plenty of horsepower under the hood, and we still have a long way to go. Our audience will provide us with the fuel.
Pradosaure: As Gévaudan said, lots of concerts, quickly getting started on the third album, but we’re also thinking about other things at the same time, such as releasing singles with music videos. Stay tuned 😉
François: Touring as much as possible!!!! I’ve always believed that metal is something to be experienced on stage rather than listened to on a CD.

Do you think you have improved as musicians with this album?
Gévaudan: I got seriously into keyboard, especially to create piano arrangements, so in a way, yes!
Pradosaure: We didn’t really have a choice (hahaha)! There are some songs I composed where I thought to myself, « Damn, why? Wouldn’t a simple life be nice? »

Which bands do you dream of playing with? I’ll let you imagine your dream show with Muertissima as the opening act and three other bands.
Pradosaure: Cannibal Corpse, Crypta, Krisiun, Muertissima.
François: Suffocation, Dying Fetus, Cryptopsy, and Muertissima!!!!

Last question, the answer to which scares me a little for once: what dish would you compare Muertissima‘s music to?
Gévaudan: Have you seen the TV sitcom Friends? At one point, Rachel concocted a Thanksgiving dish that sounded absolutely disgusting on paper, mixing unlikely ingredients. Some people would be unable to eat it, while others, like Joey, would appreciate each ingredient for what it was. For me, Muertissima is THAT dish.
Pradosaure: A fucking cassoulet that you’d wolf down under the blazing sun in the middle of a heatwave while drinking cheap red wine that stains your teeth. The state you’d be in after that, wondering whether you’re still alive or not, is how we want our audience to feel at the end of our concerts!

So that was my last question. Thank you for your time, and the last words are yours!
Pradosaure: Pizza, beer, and [censored]! Thank you very much for this interview!
Gévaudan: We hope to see you on February 14 at Le Klub!